Maui Timeshare Offer Comparison – Hyatt & Starwood
I love Hawaii. Over the past few years my wife and I have been there four times. Yes, we travel many other places as well, but there is something I love about the Islands. Going there isn’t for everyone, especially considering the number of people and the overall cost. My guess is the cost is the biggest preventive factor. (Maybe for East Coasters distance is too!)
The universe must really want us to return to Maui after our lackluster stay at the Grand Wailea last year. In the past few days I received timeshare offers from both Starwood and Hyatt for stays at their properties on Ka’anapali Beach. I thought it might be fun to break down both offers to see which is better and/or if neither is worth pursuing.
Hyatt Ka’anapali Beach Resort
The first offer I received was for the new Hyatt timeshare in Maui. We actually stayed one night at the Hyatt Regency next door last year and I poked around the new property. It is beautiful and has a really nice pool, but will this offer make me want to go back?
The Offer
Experience a Hawaiian escape at our award-winning, oceanfront destination. Rejuvenate your mind, body and soul at Hyatt Ka’anapali Beach Resort located on Maui.
Your Maui vacation includes:
- 6 days and 5 nights at our tropical retreat
- Luxurious 2 bedroom, 2 bath oceanfront suite with expansive lanai
- Zero-entry lagoon and infinity relaxation pools with views of the ocean
- Plus, 10,000 bonus points
Travel by March 31, 2017 to secure this exclusive Hyatt Ka’anapali Beach Resort offer for only $1,495+ tax (tax should be about 13.42% or $200) for 5 nights, a savings of up to $4,500.
The Catch
Of course, there is always a catch with a deal like this. Thankfully Hyatt doesn’t hide it.
ELIGIBILITY/HOW TO REGISTER: To participate in this offer and receive 10,000 Hyatt Gold Passport points, guest must book by May 23, 2016 for a 6 day, 5 night stay in a 2 bedroom, 2 bath ocean view suite at Hyatt Ka’anapali Beach Resort during the Promotional Period and meet the following qualifications:
• Attend a 90-minute sales presentation (not exceed 120 minutes) at the Hyatt Residence Club sales center during their stay.
• Have an annual household income of at least $125,000 and be at least 27 years of age and cannot have attended a sales presentation at any Hyatt Residence Club resort in the past 12 months.
• If you are (i) married, (ii) cohabitating, (iii) engaged or (iv) single and bringing a companion, we require that both parties travel together as part of the package and attend the private tour.
There are also date restrictions:
PROMOTION PERIOD: Promotion begins May 9, 2016 and is good for stays between August 15, 2016 and March 31, 2017.
Westin Kā‘anapali Ocean Resort Villas
For those who are familiar with Ka’anapali, most of the hotels are located on the South end of the beach. The regular Sheraton and Westin properties are on the South side as is the Hyatt Regency and the Hyatt Residence Club described above. The Westin resort villas are on the North end of the beach in a slightly different area.
The Offer
Book a 6-day, 5-night stay at The Westin Kā‘anapali Ocean Resort Villas for just $798.
Act now to reserve this special $798 vacation package, which includes:
- 6 Days and 5 Nights at The Westin Kā‘anapali Ocean Resort Villas, a AAA Four Diamond-rated resort
- Your choice of 5,000 Starpoints® from the Starwood Preferred Guest® program OR a $75 Resort Certificate that can be used toward shopping, dining or spa services at the resort
- PLUS a 6-Day Avis® Rental Car credit for sightseeing, adventure and travel around the island.
The Catch
So Starwood didn’t include any of the terms in their offer, so we had to call to find out more. Here are some more details:
- Like with Hyatt, we must attend a presentation.
- The room included is a Studio Premium Villa which is about 500 square feet.
- The rental car is free, but there is some sort of a $75 charge for it.
- Taxes are included in the $798 total.
Comparing the Offers
So to break it down, here is what each offer gives:
Hyatt Residence Club: 2 bedroom suite (~1,200 sqft) & 10,000 points for $1,495 plus tax.
Westin Villas: Studio Villa (~500 sqft), Rental Car & 5,000 Starpoints for $873 including the rental car surcharge.
The Westin offer has no blackout dates, however the Hyatt offer is not good until around September. To compare the two, it took a bit of searching, but I was able to find dates where both had availability. The dates I found are December 8 – December 13, 2016.
Comparing the Costs
Room
- Hyatt Two Bedroom Suite – $1,199 per night or $6,799.53 for five nights including tax.
- Westin Studio Villa – $383 per night or $2,171.80 for five night including tax.
Points
- 10,000 Hyatt Gold Passport – ~$150
- 5,000 Starwood Starpoints – ~$90
Rental Car
- The cheapest rental car I could find was $198 for those dates.
Value of Each Offer
To compare the two offers, I added in the rental car cost to the Hyatt deal since I would need one anyway and added the $198 to the total value of each deal as well.
- Hyatt Offer Total Value: $7,147.53
- Hyatt Offer Total Comparable Cost: $1,893
- Savings %: 73.52%
- Westin Offer Total Value: $2,459.80
- Westin Offer Total Comparable Cost: $873
- Savings %: 64.51%
Elite Status Considerations
As many of you know I am a Diamond Elite with Hyatt, so perhaps that would put things over the top. Unfortunately, Hyatt specifically excludes elite benefits from this offer, which kind of stinks although it makes the decision easier. I am only a SPG Gold, meaning I don’t get much benefit at their properties anyway.
Which Would I Choose
I tend to try to spend the least amount of money out of pocket as possible. For my family of four the Studio Villa at the Westin would work just fine and therefore I think I would take that offer. Basically it is a turnkey Hawaiian vacation for less than $1,000 and it is tough to find that sort of value using points in Hawaii. With that said, the Hyatt offer is pretty amazing as well considering you get a 1,200 square foot apartment right on the ocean for less than $2,000. At first I was thinking the Westin deal was a better value, but at this point I’m not sure.
Conclusion
I don’t know if I will take advantage of either of these offers, but I think both are great values considering how many miles/points it would take to get into something comparable. In either case I would have to attend a presentation, but the timeshare people in Hawaii aren’t nearly as pushy as other place (cough Mexico) and I have no issue walking out after the agreed upon time. 90 minutes in a sales presentation is probably worth savings thousands of dollars or hundreds of thousands of points.
Which offer do you think is better or would you go with neither and rent a condo somewhere on the island from a private party? Have you recently received a similar offer? Let us know in the comments!
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Heading to Hawaii in a few weeks, shopping for lodging. Any time share offers out there I could get? Maui or Kauai
No timeshare presentation required, I asked, of course once there it is encouraged, just say NO
[…] AirBnB alternatives. Travel with Grant recently wrote about the offer he took advantage of, and Miles to Memories also talked about similar deals for Maui. Dan received a great offer from Hyatt this past summer. I […]
How do you get in on these deals? My sister got an offer and is taking advantage but she has no idea how they got her email!
Anyone have a westin flyer they would be willing to share? I received one a while back but my husband accidentally threw it away 🙁 I tried to call and get the offer but they need some code on it as it is invite only.
Are these offers coming through email? Regular mail? Just curious. Obviously I would like one!
Both actually. I received physical mailers and emails for both offers.
Hyatt Residence, hands down! We were just there a few months ago in the 3 bedroom which is amazing.
This is the offer I received. If I can get Thanksgiving or President’s week, I’ll take advantage. Like the idea that it is not as pricey as Hawaii….and much easier to access from NJ. Going to Playa del Carmen anyway so I’ll save some Hyatt points.
Don’t miss your chance to book a 5-day, 4-night stay at The Westin Lagunamar Ocean Resort for just $319.
Or if you travel June 1 – August 31, 2016, pay only $299!
Dear David,
Your invitation to experience the beauty of Cancún, Mexico with this ultra-exclusive offer for you and your spouse has been extended until May 24, 2016.
Make unforgettable memories during your stay at The Westin Lagunamar Ocean Resort, where you can:
• Cool off in the sparkling pools, enjoy delicious meals at any of our on-site restaurants, play 18 holes of miniature golf, or relax in your stylish villa with like-home amenities.
• Walk a few steps from the resort’s infinity edge pool to join a sand volleyball match, delight in a variety of watersports, or just relax on the powder-soft sand.
• Renew your body and mind at the Heavenly Spa by Westin™ with treatments that combine native ingredients and ancient Mayan healing therapies. PLUS your choice of 5,000 Starpoints® from the Starwood Preferred Guest® program OR a $75 Resort Certificate for shopping, dining, spa services or select activities within the resort
Stayed last year at hyatt. 6 people. Top floor. Middle unit. Best in place. Full huge kitchen plus 2 huge bedrooms plus solid queen pullout. All of us thought it was, by miles, THE BEST Hawaiian vacation we had ever had….among a combined 25 or so. Easily beat the westin on kauai 6 months earlier….and that one was pretty good.
The view is incredible and the patios on every unit are huge.
I’m going to the Sheraton (Black Rock) resort on Kaanapali Beach in Maui for 5 nights in July; $695.00. Includes a car. Though there are a bunch of fees you have to pay for the car and a “resort and parking fee”. But still. I was told by the agent you don’t have to go to the presentation. Though I have a feeling I might be “encouraged” to attend. I’ve stayed at this hotel over 30 years ago… LOL! It has a great beach! I hate those high pressure time share talks, so will hopefully not to attend one since there is no way I’d ever get involved with a timeshare. We never stay at the same place twice!
Whatever you do though; make sure you don’t give them anything until you have a definite date (with airfare) booked. They’ll try and make you pay for it, and then you have a year to book it, but in reality you want to book it when you pay for it.
I’m looking forward to going to Maui again (it’s been years), but I hope I don’t have to face the “closers” at the “presentation”… It always gets ugly at the end. 😀
Hi Shawn, I received the Westin Vacation Package offer too and wrote about it here: http://travelwithgrant.boardingarea.com/2016/04/10/30-fooddrink-credit-at-hyatt-house-or-hyatt-place-westin-vacation-package-on-maui/
I decided to book the package after asking some questions. Here are the answers:
Q: Is this related to a timeshare presentation? A: No, there is no timeshare presentation required.
Q: Are there hotel resort fees? A: No, there are only fees for parking at the hotel ($10/day) and taxes on the rental car (~$75).
Q: Can I check in/out any day during the week? A: Yes, you can check in on any day of the week and check out any day of the week 6 days later.
Q: How far in advance do I need to book? A: Space is limited, so they recommend calling 60+ days in advance of when you want to attend.
Q: When do I book airfare? A: After your reservation dates have been accepted and you receive a confirmation of your dates, then you can plan and purchase airfare.
After the agent answered all of my questions, I felt pretty confident moving forward. I paid the $498 for the down payment toward the vacation package. When I request my travel dates, I need to pay the remaining $300 to complete the booking.
As for the blackout dates, the first date I could book was October 7, so no dates were available before then.
How strict are they on home ownership? I live in a rental.
How would they verify income? I can make up any income I want
How strict are they about the income requirements? i could cover everything else…
The real question is can you pay with discounted Hyatt gift cards? I suppose the answer is ‘no’, but I didn’t check.
We did the Hyatt timeshare thing last summer and loved it. My friends got the Westin Maui offer and were able to switch it to the Westin on Kauai in Princeville.
Good to know!
Same here..we got Westin Maui offer and switched to the Westin Princeville. We were targeted also for the Hyatt offer….but they were booked on the dates I wanted to go. They didn’t have anything till the August and we heard about offer in March.
I have stayed at Westin Maui and I think it is ok. Plus I like more space so I think the Hyatt offers that!
Whenever I am traveling with my kids the most important consideration is which pool would they like more.
The Hyatt has a great pool plus you can also use the pool at the Regency next door which is nice too and has a great water slide!
My kids 3, 5, 7 all loved the pools at the Residence and Regency.
How does one get on these lists? I just booked the Anadz for 5 nights in Maui for August!
same question? TIA
Good question. I am interested – especially for the SPG timeshare.
I think they may target elites. I am a Hyatt Diamond member and an SPG Gold from the Amex Platinum.
Are you sure you have to attend a presentation with Starwood? In the past it’s actually only been required to attend if you want the 5K SPG or $75 resort credit. FWIW our friends did the offer last month and they were upgraded to a 1BR. During LA spring break no less. After they said no on the tour they were offered and bought a return trip to the resort. More expensive than the first, but still about the same as a decent rental on Redweek.
Oh, and SPG Gold does absolutely NOTHING there, since all owners are Gold or Platinum anyways.
Good stuff to know. The phone agent did say we would be required to attend a presentation at the Westin, but who knows if that will be enforced. I am pretty sure on the Hyatt side it will be enforced considering the lengths they go to put that into their terms.
I got the Hyatt offer and called and asked if we could book a 1BR instead. They checked availability and said yes. It was $900 +tax ($1100 all in if I remember correctly) for the same amount of dates and benefits. I asked about extending it a few more days to make it 7 nights at that same avg rate and they could not do that.
Wow that is good to know. At $900 + tax the Hyatt offer is a lot more attractive. The 1 bedroom is still almost 900 square feet.
Got the Hyatt offer too but the income and home ownership requirements make it ineligible… as well as the age requirement 🙁
three strikes for you. lol.
I got the offer and I’m only platinum from the Hyatt credit card, but I only meet the age requirement.
Last fall I got the same offer for Westin, but $149 per night for the Hyatt two bed room. It was cheaper probably because it was the grand opening for that Hyatt timeshare. We chose Westin to avoid the very crowded beach where Hyatt is. We stayed at there around New Year.
For Westin you don’t have to go to the presentation. Just tell them you can’t buy a timeshare now for whatever reasons and they won’t schedule it for you. We saw a lady do that and the rep said no problem with a smile 🙂